Having eaten in quite a few Zizzis around the country, I'm a big fan of their initiative and ethos, and their pasta is always superb.
However, I didn't feel that this one was quite up to the exceptional standard of other branches I've visited - or maybe a Monday night wasn't the best time to visit.
We were greeted courteously and quickly shown to a table - although it was hardly busy so the staff were practically falling over themselves to serve us.
The first problem I had was with the atmospheric lighting, which in the front section seemed to come solely from tiny wall fittings. It was so dim that I had to use the torch app on my phone in order to read the specials menu, which was printed on a brown card insert in the menu. I also struggled to read the red wine choices, which were printed on a red background. Admittedly at my age I do sometimes struggle a bit in dim lighting, but even my colleague thought that this did seem a bit extreme!
I ordered the seafood linguine, which is a fairly standard choice for me in Zizzi, and a side order of garlic bread. That was the second problem - the garlic bread arrived covered in cheese, although I hadn't asked for the cheesy version. However, it was soon replaced and the rest of the meal was as delicious as expected from Zizzis.
Perhaps I was just a bit tired, but the overall experience this evening just served to take the edge off my love of this chain, and reduced the star rating of this particular branch. Sorry Zizzi - I still love you really. read more